I just finished my first week at my new job at a SFX company in London. There's a lot to learn - I see it as a balancing act between reading and working, at least at first. Having said that I have yet to actually get to work, I'm still just starting to figure out how they do things here. It seems like a nice company though, surprisingly organized and they seem to treat their employees quite well. I do hope to fit in and prove useful.
I am quite busy with both the change in location and in profession (I mainly worked with games before), living out of a suitcase right now and trying to pick up a half-dozen new skills, so I don't think I'll be working on my engine for some time, though I do hope to do a little miniature painting.
Speaking of, I finally got the chance to step in to a Games Workshop yesterday. It's been months since the last time. Saw the Storm Raven, the front is kind of cool, very aggressive in a military, form-over-function kind of way - it really is a flying tank - but the tiny back just unbalances the whole damn thing. If I was ever to get one for my Grey Knights - not that I'm planning to - I would have to do something to make it a little more balanced.
But more importantly, I took a brief glance at the Space Wolves codex. Grey Hunters cost a point less than regular Space Marines but have an extra attack and the (very useful) counter-attack rule? What the hell? That's just disgusting. Downright obscene in fact. This blatant example of power-creep presents me with a conundrum. Do I play with the Space Wolves codex and take advantage of how powerful it is, or stick with the regular Space Marine codex in protest of this unbalanced filth (which, I reckon, is tailor-made for min/maxed WAAC armies)? A big part of me dislikes the idea of paying more for less with regular Space Marines, but the other part hates jumping on the 'latest and greatest' bandwagon and is annoyed at the first part for being so weak.
The other thing is that Space Wolves have some units that I really like, especially the greater versatility in Terminator use and equipment. At the same time I'm thinking of looking at Blood Angels, who also have some cool stuff. Regardless of what I decide to 'major in', I plan to get all the codices and buy/convert/paint any specific models that I like regardless of whether I actually use them or not, that's what I enjoy after all. I'll probably end up with one of those 'counts as' Space Marine armies in the end, and play them as different things on different days. Why the hell not right? Variety is the spice of life after all.
Also waiting on the Grey Knights. I can honestly say that the Grey Knights were a big part of what got me to finally take the jump into Warhammer 40K, they were always my favorite models and the Grey Knight books are still my favorite Games Workshop novels - each one is better than the last (bear in mind though that I certainly haven't read all the Black Library novels, still not started the Horus Heresy for example).
To wrap things up, there's a lot of changes in my life right now, sometimes I feel homesick but I'm trying to keep busy - I do have a lot to do after all - and I'm hoping for the best.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Idea for in-line kill-cam
I was playing Black-Ops at a friends house, the fact that you can play split-screen online makes it fun again - I might have to buy it just for that. Anyway, I died many times without any warning, which is a bit annoying. Of course it's fun when you insta-kill another player, which is why it's possible, but when you just fall over dead and you're not sure why (until you see the replay of how you died, if it's enabled), it can be annoying.
Then I had an idea. In some one-player games, when you kill an AI enemy in a dramatic way (e.g. a headshot with a sniper rifle), you get a slow-motion view of the kill from a more dramatic angle. As a repeatable example, in Stranglehold there is a special ability (I forget the name) where you take a single shot and, if it hits, you get to see the hit in slow motion from a better angle. So why not do that in an online game like Black Ops?
Let me clarify. In Modern Warfare and Black Ops, after you get killed you see a replay from your killer's point of view. My suggestion is; instead of waiting until after the player dies and falls to the ground, as soon as the player is officially "dead": stop, zoom the camera out a little to show the player, and in slow motion show them dying. If the get hit by a sniper bullet you will see the blood fly (and perhaps the bullet hit), if they trigger a claymore you can jump to an angle from above the player that shows the claymore, then show it explode and the player fall.
It won't work well for everything (so it can be applied selectively), but for some instant deaths (like the claymore or long-range sniper kill previously mentioned, which are not immediately comprehendable at the moment of death), it can avoid the momentary "how did I just die?" frustration while looking pretty cool. And there's room for a little cheating too. For example, if you do get killed by a sniper, the game can actually go back in time a little and follow the track of the bullet (camera exits the player's body, flies down to focus on the sniper, shows the shot, follows the bullet from behind on it's flight until it hits the player and we see them fall in slow motion) - basically the player himself is shown only in the frame he died in while the sniper can be shown only in the frame he took the shot, even if the two are actually a few frames apart, it won't look wrong because the bullet is supposed to be that fast. Whether or not that would look wrong for, say, a grenade-launcher kill I'm not sure, but it's probably worth a try right?
It won't impact the gameplay since the player is already dead and has lost control for a moment when it happens anyway, if the spawn time is shorter than the view time the player may be given the option to just skip it and get right back to the killing. Since these games save enough information to show the replay anyway, it shouldn't be technically hard to do, and of course it can be disabled by the player just like the current kill-cam. The player can view either the regular after-kill view or this in-line kill-cam view depending on the type of death.
Well, it's an idea. I wouldn't be surprised to see it done soon, the way slo-motion is being used these days - or perhaps it's already been used and I just haven't seen it?
Then I had an idea. In some one-player games, when you kill an AI enemy in a dramatic way (e.g. a headshot with a sniper rifle), you get a slow-motion view of the kill from a more dramatic angle. As a repeatable example, in Stranglehold there is a special ability (I forget the name) where you take a single shot and, if it hits, you get to see the hit in slow motion from a better angle. So why not do that in an online game like Black Ops?
Let me clarify. In Modern Warfare and Black Ops, after you get killed you see a replay from your killer's point of view. My suggestion is; instead of waiting until after the player dies and falls to the ground, as soon as the player is officially "dead": stop, zoom the camera out a little to show the player, and in slow motion show them dying. If the get hit by a sniper bullet you will see the blood fly (and perhaps the bullet hit), if they trigger a claymore you can jump to an angle from above the player that shows the claymore, then show it explode and the player fall.
It won't work well for everything (so it can be applied selectively), but for some instant deaths (like the claymore or long-range sniper kill previously mentioned, which are not immediately comprehendable at the moment of death), it can avoid the momentary "how did I just die?" frustration while looking pretty cool. And there's room for a little cheating too. For example, if you do get killed by a sniper, the game can actually go back in time a little and follow the track of the bullet (camera exits the player's body, flies down to focus on the sniper, shows the shot, follows the bullet from behind on it's flight until it hits the player and we see them fall in slow motion) - basically the player himself is shown only in the frame he died in while the sniper can be shown only in the frame he took the shot, even if the two are actually a few frames apart, it won't look wrong because the bullet is supposed to be that fast. Whether or not that would look wrong for, say, a grenade-launcher kill I'm not sure, but it's probably worth a try right?
It won't impact the gameplay since the player is already dead and has lost control for a moment when it happens anyway, if the spawn time is shorter than the view time the player may be given the option to just skip it and get right back to the killing. Since these games save enough information to show the replay anyway, it shouldn't be technically hard to do, and of course it can be disabled by the player just like the current kill-cam. The player can view either the regular after-kill view or this in-line kill-cam view depending on the type of death.
Well, it's an idea. I wouldn't be surprised to see it done soon, the way slo-motion is being used these days - or perhaps it's already been used and I just haven't seen it?
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy new year!
Well, another year has been lost forever. I guess I'm getting old, because I find it slightly depressing. Or perhaps what's depressing is how little I seem to care? I don't know.
Anyway, to mark this occasion, here's a screenshot of the latest version of my Blender plugin. I've just finished the latest function, which exports all the files for one model in one go. That's the model descriptor file (.agt), all the mesh files (.amt), all the material files (.ast), and the rig file (.art), as well as a new folder to hold them all, and it even copies any images used in the materials to the new folder.
So that makes the whole process much easier of course. It doesn't handle animations yet (which are still under development in the engine anyway), hopefully I'll be looking into that. The selection process is a little rigid (you have to select only the root mesh for a multi-part model, and also the rig for a rigged model), I plan to make it a little more forgiving later, but as it stands now it's fully functional and quite usable.
Also, is it just me, or is the number 2011 not pleasing? I don't know why, but 2010 just looks better. Perhaps it has more symmetry? Perhaps it's just what is symbolizes: over a decade since the New Millennium and almost no progress made in solving the Old Problems?
Anyway, to mark this occasion, here's a screenshot of the latest version of my Blender plugin. I've just finished the latest function, which exports all the files for one model in one go. That's the model descriptor file (.agt), all the mesh files (.amt), all the material files (.ast), and the rig file (.art), as well as a new folder to hold them all, and it even copies any images used in the materials to the new folder.
So that makes the whole process much easier of course. It doesn't handle animations yet (which are still under development in the engine anyway), hopefully I'll be looking into that. The selection process is a little rigid (you have to select only the root mesh for a multi-part model, and also the rig for a rigged model), I plan to make it a little more forgiving later, but as it stands now it's fully functional and quite usable.
Also, is it just me, or is the number 2011 not pleasing? I don't know why, but 2010 just looks better. Perhaps it has more symmetry? Perhaps it's just what is symbolizes: over a decade since the New Millennium and almost no progress made in solving the Old Problems?
Friday, December 31, 2010
New game concept
I recently finished Alan Wake, a game in which the enemies are weakened by light. The player uses a flashlight, flares and flashbangs, and seeks out lights in the environment, turning on generators etc. to help defeat the Taken. But I just remembered an older game, The Darkness. Based on a comic book, the protagonist has several powers that he can only use in the dark, the player must often shoot out light bulbs and turn off light switches etc. to give him an edge over the enemies. In other words, similar concepts approached from different sides.
And then it occurred to me, why not take the same idea and put it in a Left 4 Dead kind of game? One team of players control humans trying to escape or transport cargo or find an artifact or protect civilians or some other mission that has them traveling across or defending an environment, while the other controls the Darklings trying to kill them. All using light-vs-dark mechanics. The environment should have light and dark areas, possibly with changing lighting conditions to make the combat more dynamic.
Darklings are strong and fast and have various powers, but are weak and slow and lose some powers in the light. Humans have weapons and flashlights; if a Darkling can catch them by surprise they have the edge but if a human catches them in the light they are at a disadvantage. Flashlights have less effect than larger environment lights etc. The game could use many players per side, or the Darklings have minor AI-controlled darklings for gameplay similar to Left 4 Dead.
There you go, free awesome idea. You're welcome, games industry.
And then it occurred to me, why not take the same idea and put it in a Left 4 Dead kind of game? One team of players control humans trying to escape or transport cargo or find an artifact or protect civilians or some other mission that has them traveling across or defending an environment, while the other controls the Darklings trying to kill them. All using light-vs-dark mechanics. The environment should have light and dark areas, possibly with changing lighting conditions to make the combat more dynamic.
Darklings are strong and fast and have various powers, but are weak and slow and lose some powers in the light. Humans have weapons and flashlights; if a Darkling can catch them by surprise they have the edge but if a human catches them in the light they are at a disadvantage. Flashlights have less effect than larger environment lights etc. The game could use many players per side, or the Darklings have minor AI-controlled darklings for gameplay similar to Left 4 Dead.
There you go, free awesome idea. You're welcome, games industry.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Soul Drinker
This is my first real conversion. A Space Marine of the Soul Drinker's chapter. The idea for the conversion came from my brother, then I remembered a bit from the second Soul Drinker's book, The Bleeding Chalice:
"We've had to take two Marines from Squad Luko off-duty entirely - one has claws that can't hold a boltgun and the other is growing a second head."
He / they were made from two AOBR space marines, which is why the right arm is in that slightly awkward position. I used bits from the Black Templars upgrade kit for the sword, pistol, bolter and shoulder pad (I filled most of the chapter symbols off but the parts are still recognizable from the chains). The base was ready-made, I don't remember where I got it from. I magnetized the left arms and shoulder pad to be interchangeable, and there's also magnets in the base. This was my first real use of green stuff, and it left something to be desired, but fortunately most of the crappy bits are hidden from normal view by the boltgun and backpack.
Typical pose. I chose two different helmet designs to make it look less symmetrical and more chaotic.
A shot taken without the camera flash. The arm can be rotated to vary the pose.
Shoulder pad. This was made by filling Black Templars symbols off a shoulder pad and green-stuffing a chalice symbol. The original shoulder pad actually had a skull that I cut off then later decided to try to blend back into the chalice. It didn't work very well, but it's still a little more interesting than just the chalice on it's own.
Backpack. The cables in the middle came from a flagellant from the Witch Hunter's inquisitor kit.
Right view with the bolt pistol arm.
The magnets on the arms and shoulder pad are 2mm diameter. If I was to do it again I would use larger magnets, if I had only relied on the 2mm magnets I don't think it would be strong enough. However I used a larger magnet recessed in the body and covered it with greenstuff except for a socket for the arm magnets. The combination of the stronger magnet and the tight-fitting socket holds the arms reasonably well.
I put a lot of effort into this one, not just in conversion but also in painting. Overall I would say this is my best work yet. The highlighting over the purple is a little too subtle while the highlighting over the black might be a little too obvious. I had some trouble with the gold and ended up using too many layers but in the end it turned out OK. I think I should have thinned the paint a bit more before painting the sword as it doesn't look very smooth, but it's not too bad and the "power-lines" look decent. The purity seals are better than my previous efforts - I managed to paint some pretty fine lines on the seal on the boltgun, I wasn't even able to repeat that for the one on the leg.
I've left him glossy for now as it seems to bring out the colours better and I've been having trouble with my attempts at matt varnishes. You have to apply matt varnish very thinly or it becomes glossy, so I'm planning to get some acrylic medium and use it to thin down some matt varnish so I can apply it more generously and hopefully get more even coverage. I might use it on this guy if the technique works, we will see.
"We've had to take two Marines from Squad Luko off-duty entirely - one has claws that can't hold a boltgun and the other is growing a second head."
He / they were made from two AOBR space marines, which is why the right arm is in that slightly awkward position. I used bits from the Black Templars upgrade kit for the sword, pistol, bolter and shoulder pad (I filled most of the chapter symbols off but the parts are still recognizable from the chains). The base was ready-made, I don't remember where I got it from. I magnetized the left arms and shoulder pad to be interchangeable, and there's also magnets in the base. This was my first real use of green stuff, and it left something to be desired, but fortunately most of the crappy bits are hidden from normal view by the boltgun and backpack.
Typical pose. I chose two different helmet designs to make it look less symmetrical and more chaotic.
A shot taken without the camera flash. The arm can be rotated to vary the pose.
Shoulder pad. This was made by filling Black Templars symbols off a shoulder pad and green-stuffing a chalice symbol. The original shoulder pad actually had a skull that I cut off then later decided to try to blend back into the chalice. It didn't work very well, but it's still a little more interesting than just the chalice on it's own.
Backpack. The cables in the middle came from a flagellant from the Witch Hunter's inquisitor kit.
Right view with the bolt pistol arm.
The magnets on the arms and shoulder pad are 2mm diameter. If I was to do it again I would use larger magnets, if I had only relied on the 2mm magnets I don't think it would be strong enough. However I used a larger magnet recessed in the body and covered it with greenstuff except for a socket for the arm magnets. The combination of the stronger magnet and the tight-fitting socket holds the arms reasonably well.I put a lot of effort into this one, not just in conversion but also in painting. Overall I would say this is my best work yet. The highlighting over the purple is a little too subtle while the highlighting over the black might be a little too obvious. I had some trouble with the gold and ended up using too many layers but in the end it turned out OK. I think I should have thinned the paint a bit more before painting the sword as it doesn't look very smooth, but it's not too bad and the "power-lines" look decent. The purity seals are better than my previous efforts - I managed to paint some pretty fine lines on the seal on the boltgun, I wasn't even able to repeat that for the one on the leg.
I've left him glossy for now as it seems to bring out the colours better and I've been having trouble with my attempts at matt varnishes. You have to apply matt varnish very thinly or it becomes glossy, so I'm planning to get some acrylic medium and use it to thin down some matt varnish so I can apply it more generously and hopefully get more even coverage. I might use it on this guy if the technique works, we will see.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Progress
I've been doing a little work on my engine these past couple of weeks. I wrote two different forwards renderers, but they both have trouble with the same bug in GLSL that I keep running in to; trying to access light data using a uniform variable just kills the whole shader. No error messages, it just doesn't do anything. I'm not really sure what to do about that, friends are suggesting switching to CG instead of GLSL, I might have to look into it.
Meanwhile I've also made some changes to my asset management code and put some more work into my Blender plugin. I cleaned it a little and added a material file exporter, I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to export most or all of the files used by a typical object in one go - currently I have to manually export each file. I'm starting to fill the screen a little vertically, I'm still undecided on whether to keep everything on one screen or use a lot of pop-ups for options:
In related news I'm looking forwards to the new Sony gaming phone; the Zeus Z1 they are calling it right now, though the theory is it will be called the playstation phone or something to that effect. Finally, true gaming controls in a phone - plus it has a touch screen so it can handle all the "casual" games currently out. I hope to be able to port my engine to it, perhaps that will give me a more tangible goal.
Meanwhile I've also made some changes to my asset management code and put some more work into my Blender plugin. I cleaned it a little and added a material file exporter, I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to export most or all of the files used by a typical object in one go - currently I have to manually export each file. I'm starting to fill the screen a little vertically, I'm still undecided on whether to keep everything on one screen or use a lot of pop-ups for options:
In related news I'm looking forwards to the new Sony gaming phone; the Zeus Z1 they are calling it right now, though the theory is it will be called the playstation phone or something to that effect. Finally, true gaming controls in a phone - plus it has a touch screen so it can handle all the "casual" games currently out. I hope to be able to port my engine to it, perhaps that will give me a more tangible goal.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Holidays
So I'm finally on holiday! At last, time to relax, do some painting. Just finished my first Tallarn, which is actually the first time I tried to paint human skin, and a human face. Dry-brushing just didn't cut it for the face, I had to resort to actual manual highlighting (until now I've only highlighted edges), it wasn't a resounding success but it came out better than I expected. I left the arms dry-brushed out of laziness, and also to help compare the two in the finished article. The eyes also are not great (they look better in this picture than in real life because of the angle). The spray paint I used for an undercoat let me down, as a result the wash over the clothes pooled together in places because it wouldn't stick to the paint underneath (also my choice of colours for the wash were not perfect).
This was also my first attempt at using pre-cut clear bases. I used two 6mm x 0.5mm magnets under his feet, but they aren't strong enough, next time I'll have to use 6mm x 1mm, hopefully that will do it. They are a little obtrusive, but when you put it on a table from a few feet away they're barely noticeable.
I've also been trying to write lists for my Space Marines, Daemon Hunters, and Witch Hunters. It's actually quite a balancing act; I'm not looking for a competitive build as much as one that lets me use all my favorite units at the same time (hopefully in useful ways of course) - in other words it's driven by the models rather than the rules. However, one cannot help but notice certain opportunities - for example, the "six Dreadnought" build or the "all Space Marine Bikes" build. My favourite so far is the "Immolator Spam" build. So here's my take:
HQ:
Palatine (Bolt Pistol, Chainsword, Frags), 5 Celestians, Immolator - 168 pts.
Palatine (Bolt Pistol, Chainsword), 5 Celestians, Immolator - 167 pts.
TROOPS:
5 Storm Troopers - 50 pts.
5 Storm Troopers - 50 pts.
ELITES:
5 Celestians (2 Melta Guns), Immolator - 150 pts.
5 Celestians (2 Melta Guns), Immolator - 150 pts.
5 Celestians (2 Melta Guns), Immolator - 150 pts.
FAST ATTACK:
5 Dominions (2 Melta Guns), Immolator - 140 pts.
5 Dominions (2 Melta Guns), Immolator - 140 pts.
5 Dominions (2 Melta Guns), Immolator - 140 pts.
HEAVY SUPPORT:
Immolator - 65 pts.
Immolator - 65 pts.
Immolator - 65 pts.
TOTAL: 1500 pts.
11 Immolators and 7 Faith Points by my calculations, and everyone starts in an Immolator (plus one extra). Not the kind of list I'd use, but I find it amusing to contemplate. Immolators can move 12" and still fire their heavy flamers so it doesn't take long to start burning infantry, and also there's six units with two meltas each, so a fair bit of anti-tank. And with the small unit sizes things like The Passion and Spirit of the Martyr should be fairly reliable. Having said that, there's very little assault power, too many kill-points, and only two units of very weak troops wont work too well for holding objectives. Trading a couple of meltas will buy Cannoness (es?) instead of Palatines, which gets you two more faith points, or you can give the Storm Troopers Meltas or Plasma Guns instead. At higher points levels you could buy more troops and/or trade Storm Troopers for Sororitas, which would help a lot. You can probably also buy some Rhinos or Chimeras for even more vehicle saturation. Now, how about that "Nine Penitent Engines" build...
This was also my first attempt at using pre-cut clear bases. I used two 6mm x 0.5mm magnets under his feet, but they aren't strong enough, next time I'll have to use 6mm x 1mm, hopefully that will do it. They are a little obtrusive, but when you put it on a table from a few feet away they're barely noticeable.
I've also been trying to write lists for my Space Marines, Daemon Hunters, and Witch Hunters. It's actually quite a balancing act; I'm not looking for a competitive build as much as one that lets me use all my favorite units at the same time (hopefully in useful ways of course) - in other words it's driven by the models rather than the rules. However, one cannot help but notice certain opportunities - for example, the "six Dreadnought" build or the "all Space Marine Bikes" build. My favourite so far is the "Immolator Spam" build. So here's my take:
HQ:
Palatine (Bolt Pistol, Chainsword, Frags), 5 Celestians, Immolator - 168 pts.
Palatine (Bolt Pistol, Chainsword), 5 Celestians, Immolator - 167 pts.
TROOPS:
5 Storm Troopers - 50 pts.
5 Storm Troopers - 50 pts.
ELITES:
5 Celestians (2 Melta Guns), Immolator - 150 pts.
5 Celestians (2 Melta Guns), Immolator - 150 pts.
5 Celestians (2 Melta Guns), Immolator - 150 pts.
FAST ATTACK:
5 Dominions (2 Melta Guns), Immolator - 140 pts.
5 Dominions (2 Melta Guns), Immolator - 140 pts.
5 Dominions (2 Melta Guns), Immolator - 140 pts.
HEAVY SUPPORT:
Immolator - 65 pts.
Immolator - 65 pts.
Immolator - 65 pts.
TOTAL: 1500 pts.
11 Immolators and 7 Faith Points by my calculations, and everyone starts in an Immolator (plus one extra). Not the kind of list I'd use, but I find it amusing to contemplate. Immolators can move 12" and still fire their heavy flamers so it doesn't take long to start burning infantry, and also there's six units with two meltas each, so a fair bit of anti-tank. And with the small unit sizes things like The Passion and Spirit of the Martyr should be fairly reliable. Having said that, there's very little assault power, too many kill-points, and only two units of very weak troops wont work too well for holding objectives. Trading a couple of meltas will buy Cannoness (es?) instead of Palatines, which gets you two more faith points, or you can give the Storm Troopers Meltas or Plasma Guns instead. At higher points levels you could buy more troops and/or trade Storm Troopers for Sororitas, which would help a lot. You can probably also buy some Rhinos or Chimeras for even more vehicle saturation. Now, how about that "Nine Penitent Engines" build...
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